Notre Dame Football Spring Preview: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It seems like only yesterday that Brian Kelly was adamantly denying his interest in the head coaching vacancy at Notre Dame while still sporting his Cincinnati pullover. This coach-speak, a drill certainly not exclusive to Kelly’s particular situation, soon subsided and Kelly was named head coach of the Irish less than two weeks after Charlie Weis was relieved of his duties.

Kelly skipped out on Cincinnati’s bowl game and took over the reins of a team loaded with history and expectations to further such success. Still, the expectations—as consistently unrealistic as they might be—haven’t been in the same stratosphere of on-the-field results.

While the status of the football program has improved since Kelly took over as head coach, he’s entering his third year with Notre Dame and thus far has a legacy that begins with his cartoonish facial expressions of displeasure before the discussion of meaningful wins begins. Faces aren’t supposed to turn THAT shade of purple (it’s not your computer screen, I promise), and Kelly is hoping to avoid this chameleon transformation as he embarks on season 3.0.

Notre Dame kicked off their spring practice last Wednesday with the spotlight firmly on them. This is nothing new, of course, just par for the course in South Bend.

Expectations are high, like always, although the 2012 team is intriguing. One returning, bona fide star, a fair amount of young talent and the nation’s most intriguing quarterback competition is what’s on tap for Kelly and Co.

The Good

All-everything linebacker Manti Te’o surprised everyone when he announced that he would be back for his senior season instead of heading to the NFL. A lock to go in the first round, Te’o has racked up 324 tackles in his first three years and has been the consistent force for the Irish defense.

His presence is enough to be excited about, but he’s certainly not alone on that side of the ball.

The Notre Dame defensive line has beefed up in a hurry, and sophomore defensive ends Aaron Lynch and Stephen Tuitt should be one of the nation’s most impressive duos by season’s end. Lynch, in particular, is a guy that could explode in 2012 and be one of the nation’s top backfield destructors.

ND also has a big man in the middle, as nose guard Louis Nix should help take some of the pressure of the ends.

The pass rush will likely be one of the best in the country, and it will need to be. The secondary is very young and inexperienced and will be the weak link (at least right now) for what still should be one of the nation’s better defenses.

Unless, of course, Denard Robinson is somehow connecting on majestic floaters again. Then, well, all bets are off.

The Bad

Depth at a position is never a bad thing, especially considering how quickly injuries can add up between now and September. Having depth within a distinguished depth chart, however, is obviously the desired scenario.

The quarterback position for the Irish is loaded with live arms and interesting talents, but a clear-cut starter is still a work in progress. Tommy Rees has to be considered a slight favorite to win the starting job, although this situation is fluid both now and in season.

Rees has been good at times, but he also has tortured the team and the fans with his propensity to turn the ball at the worst possible times. For reference purposes, see: Brian Kelly’s purple face.

The three other candidates: sophomores Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson and freshman blue-chipper Gunner Kiel all present very different and unique styles.

Hendrix is a bit of a raw bulldozer with a monster arm, Golson is fleet of foot and could be perfect in Brian Kelly’s system, while Kiel is likely the most talented of the bunch but was only recently granted movie theater access to R-rated movies. (We’re assuming he never, ever snuck in.)

2012 seems like a bridge year to give Kiel the practice snaps he needs to get ready to start in 2013, so I would be surprised if he entered the season as the starter. Given his ability and the rave reviews from scouts, the outlook beyond this season seems quite bright.

Having four capable players at a single position is never a bad thing. Not being able to separate a starter and having a coach with a quick trigger finger, however, could be detrimental if things turn ugly early on.

The Ugly

Replacing Michael Floyd and finding game-breaking skill position players will be a challenge, but one I think Notre Dame can handle. It’s the general vibe surrounding the state of the program, however, that must (and absolutely can) change in 2013.

Nothing changes this more than winning.

If you had to sum up Brian Kelly’s young tenure as Notre Dame head coach in one game, look no further than last year’s lightning-filled season opener. The Irish absolutely dominated South Florida, out-gaining them in total yardage, 508 to 254.

Still, Notre Dame fell 23-20 thanks to five turnovers. You could also pencil last year’s Michigan game into this spot if you so desire.

It’s these flashes of brilliance accompanied with general overall disappointment that Notre Dame must somehow finally overcome in Kelly’s third season. There’s no 10-step program to finding ways to win games that you should, and even some you shouldn’t, but momentum has not been on ND’s side recently.

Getting over this hump isn’t something defined; you just know it when you see it.

The Irish have a difficult but manageable schedule in 2013 which offers plenty of opportunities to differentiate themselves from more recent results and make that massive leap forward that many have been waiting for.

The talent will be there once again, as will the expectations, both real and unrealistic. It’s just a matter of finally putting it all together.